But the "translucent screens" were actually scrims, I believe. You can see it in close-up photos of the portraits, of which we have a few:

Looks more like texture added to simulate a canvas portrait, either added to the screens or the images themselves. I don't see how a scrim would work in this situation, as there would be no need to see inside the room behind the portraits. There would be nothing to see but the projectors. The texture is also too tightly woven to see through them. There should be uniform holes in a scrim at this close range, more like a window screen.

I suppose it's also possible they were projected onto thin canvas, but it wasn't used as a scrim - just a rear projection screen.

There are all kinds of scrim out there. Typically in the theatre world, it's a fairly loosely woven fabric, but that kind isn't very forgiving when it comes to close-range lighting. Either you get it right or you don't. There are also synthetic scrims that are tightly woven materials, but those are a fairly new invention. In this case, you can certainly use window screen with the clear acrylic over it. That would totally work (and you can do it with a trip to your local hardware store!) It's similar, actually, to scrims you see in store windows these days. Walk by a store window during the day and it looks like a full picture or graphic in the window; walk by at night and you can see right through it. Those are vinyl or plastic, but it's the same principle.

Actually, now that I think about it, I've used window screen before to change a painting. A million years ago in summer stock I designed a production of Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." The show calls for a painting of sheep to magically transform into a Picasso masterpiece on stage during the finale. If I remember correctly, I built a light box. On the back of the light box was the Picasso reproduction. Then I added some sort of internal lighting. Then in front of all of that, I painted window screen with the sheep painting and added a gilt frame on top. There were probably about six inches between the two paintings. From the house, it just looked like an ugly pastoral painting, but when the front lights were dimmed and the internal lighting in the box turned on, the sheep disappeared and turned into the Picasso. That's about as low-tech as it gets, as are so many of our best theatre tricks that still create magic.

I suppose it's also possible they were projected onto thin canvas, but it wasn't used as a scrim - just a rear projection screen.

Originally Posted by HBG2

According to GRD, they were indeed scrim with a clear acrylic paint applied over them to seal the holes in the mesh but still allow an image to show through. The scrim gave them a canvas appearance.

Well, that sure does sound a lot like what my last guess was. I'm guessing this is more like a stretched light linen fabric, with a sealer to stiffen it so the picture comes through better and the fabric doesn't sag with changes in humidity. That would work as a rear-projection screen, and much like showing a movie on a bed sheet, one can view the movie from the other side as well but with a reversed picture. However, I would not consider it to be a scrim as there isn't a point in the show when the viewer can look through it and see what's hidden behind. If the lights ever were to come up in the projection room, I doubt that one would be able to see anything through them, except to see that the lights were on back there.

To put it in a different way, a scrim acts more like a two-way mirror, whereas a rear-projection screen acts more like frosted glass. Not the greatest analogy, but you get the idea.

By now, everyone reading this well up likely on the Rolly Crump design phase/desire for Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast style grotesque architecture for the Mansion, and good old 'Hairy the Arm' from Ken Anderson scripts.

So it was coincidental while browsing material today about the 'Spookslot' (Haunted Castle) attraction at Efteling Park in the Netherlands that I came across the following image, from the holding area prior to going in to see the main show:

See Hairy's long-lost European cousin holding the chandelier? The Haunted Castle opened in 1978. There is no provable lineage of course and at that point, the design material and unused concepts for the HM not readily available in any format, so just one of those coincidences. The ceiling above that chandelier, incidentally, also utilizes the scrim/lighting from behind effect to show hovering winged demons looming over the waiting crowd periodically. Also of note are the deliberate Baphomet-esque demon figures, variations of which appear in the Crump drawings of course.

Well, that sure does sound a lot like what my last guess was. I'm guessing this is more like a stretched light linen fabric, with a sealer to stiffen it so the picture comes through better and the fabric doesn't sag with changes in humidity. That would work as a rear-projection screen, and much like showing a movie on a bed sheet, one can view the movie from the other side as well but with a reversed picture. However, I would not consider it to be a scrim as there isn't a point in the show when the viewer can look through it and see what's hidden behind. If the lights ever were to come up in the projection room, I doubt that one would be able to see anything through them, except to see that the lights were on back there.

To put it in a different way, a scrim acts more like a two-way mirror, whereas a rear-projection screen acts more like frosted glass. Not the greatest analogy, but you get the idea.

Bear in mind that scrim is used in more ways than one. The disappearing/appearing effect is the most unique and spectacular one, but it's also used just to "fog up" a scene. The scrims in the Endless Hallway and in front of the graveyard tableaux are used in this way, and they still "count" as scrim. So if they found that clear acrylic paint + scrim = ideal rear-projection screen, I myself am inclined to put it down as yet another use of that versatile theatrical material.

By now, everyone reading this well up likely on the Rolly Crump design phase/desire for Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast style grotesque architecture for the Mansion, and good old 'Hairy the Arm' from Ken Anderson scripts.

So it was coincidental while browsing material today about the 'Spookslot' (Haunted Castle) attraction at Efteling Park in the Netherlands that I came across the following image, from the holding area prior to going in to see the main show:

See Hairy's long-lost European cousin holding the chandelier? The Haunted Castle opened in 1978. There is no provable lineage of course and at that point, the design material and unused concepts for the HM not readily available in any format, so just one of those coincidences. The ceiling above that chandelier, incidentally, also utilizes the scrim/lighting from behind effect to show hovering winged demons looming over the waiting crowd periodically. Also of note are the deliberate Baphomet-esque demon figures, variations of which appear in the Crump drawings of course.

Very interesting, especially since there are a number of obvious borrowings from the HM at the Spookslot to begin with. It kind of proves the point that the Rolly approach could have worked.

Bear in mind that scrim is used in more ways than one. The disappearing/appearing effect is the most unique and spectacular one, but it's also used just to "fog up" a scene. The scrims in the Endless Hallway and in front of the graveyard tableaux are used in this way, and they still "count" as scrim. So if they found that clear acrylic paint + scrim = ideal rear-projection screen, I myself am inclined to put it down as yet another use of that versatile theatrical material.

I'm 90% sure that the material is a scrim.

Bonus Fun Fact to make this post worthwhile!:

In Florida, there is not sufficient room to hang a projector to project the Aging Man effect from head-on, as the entire effect assembly is housed in a space only as deep as a single Stretch Room wall. The projector actually lays on its "back" and projects into a mirror angled at 45 degrees to project onto the scrim. The mirror reverses the image, and viewing the image from the "show" side reverses it again. When WDI created the 2007 refurbishment, they failed to take into account this double-reversal effect, resulting in the "Dorian Gray" character facing the wrong way. Sad trombone.

In regards to the "Scaretale is a Grim Grinning Ghosts homage" thing a few weeks back, actually found something from before the release mentioning "Haunted Mansion Ride" in a listing of working titles for different tracks on the Imaginaerum album. Plus the lyrics "13 chimes on a dead man's clock, tick tock tick tock" was another giveaway. So there you go.

Neat. Can anyone think of any other dark rides throughout the world that are HM-knock offs and/or use similar special effects? If so, I'll be looking for YouTube ride-through / walk through videos. Love dark rides and attraction special effects in general. Non-Disney dark rides outside the U.S. are completely off my radar. And a google search for dark rides like the haunted mansion didn't come up with much. First time I've heard of Spookslot.

Originally Posted by RegionsBeyond

By now, everyone reading this well up likely on the Rolly Crump design phase/desire for Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast style grotesque architecture for the Mansion, and good old 'Hairy the Arm' from Ken Anderson scripts.

So it was coincidental while browsing material today about the 'Spookslot' (Haunted Castle) attraction at Efteling Park in the Netherlands that I came across the following image, from the holding area prior to going in to see the main show

In Florida, there is not sufficient room to hang a projector to project the Aging Man effect from head-on, as the entire effect assembly is housed in a space only as deep as a single Stretch Room wall. The projector actually lays on its "back" and projects into a mirror angled at 45 degrees to project onto the scrim. The mirror reverses the image, and viewing the image from the "show" side reverses it again. When WDI created the 2007 refurbishment, they failed to take into account this double-reversal effect, resulting in the "Dorian Gray" character facing the wrong way. Sad trombone.

I remember reading that the Tokyo version always faced the opposite way of the Florida version and in 07 it was switched to the Tokyo way.

Bear in mind that scrim is used in more ways than one. The disappearing/appearing effect is the most unique and spectacular one, but it's also used just to "fog up" a scene. The scrims in the Endless Hallway and in front of the graveyard tableaux are used in this way, and they still "count" as scrim. So if they found that clear acrylic paint + scrim = ideal rear-projection screen, I myself am inclined to put it down as yet another use of that versatile theatrical material.

Seems you're referring solely to the material as "scrim", which is technically correct. A tad archaic in the sewing world perhaps, but accurate. I'm referring to the theatrical scrim effect of using a material (any material: fabric, metal, plastic, etc.) that appears opaque when lit from the front, then seems to vanish as a scene behind is lit (or lit from both sides for a foggy appearance). In the case of the changing portraits, they aren't a scrim effect. They're meant to look exactly like what they are: a canvas. So – to me – the changing portraits are merely screens that happen to be made of a scrim material.

Geisterschloss in Germany (Ghost Castle?) at Europa Park seems to be another HM knock-off. Haven't watched the full ride video but it seems to have doombuggy-like ride vehicles and there is a 4 bust projection like the GGG guys. Anyone know of others?

Also seems to be an Epcot-style geodesic dome housing a Space Mountain type ride: